The Grassroots Blog is written by student activists campaigning to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment. If you would like to write for us, or post up a blog you have written then let us know

Main menu

Post navigation

Fairtrade fashion film launched by school pupils

Generation Fairtrade mentor Lucy Walker returned to Venerable Bede school in Sunderland to see how the Fairtrade group has been getting on.

6 months later…

Friday marked my returning visit to Venerable Bede School for a catch up on how the Fair Trade group were doing. The last time I had seen them we were discussing how to make a video to get across the idea of global poverty and how young people could get involved. I had no idea which direction they had taken, how many others they had got on board or how they would use the People Tree fashion collection in their message.

We met at lunchtime and about half the group (including a new recruit) arrived to watch the video together. The rest of the team were running the recently set up Fair Trade stall which had already raised an impressive £12.25 in 15 minutes that morning!

The clip starts with the harsh facts around poverty presented on my first visit. It then goes into some impressive acting (I was told there had been some assistance from a group member who had been in Tracy Beaker). Two team members recall a lesson on poverty and sweatshops (flash to appropriately placed Simpsons clip) and after a shudder the two go for the Fair Trade option, suggest how others can get involved and address corporations within the chain. The People Tree fashion line is then beautifully modelled in a series of catalogue shots to some jazzy music.

I stopped off for a visit to the Fair Trade stall before I left, which by some accounts is to be rapidly up scaled – there was a request for more space and for the dedication of a whole school wall to advertising!

I left proud and impressed. I could have never imagined this from the outset; the students have created a way to get lots of information across quickly and simply and had great fun doing it. I’m excited to see what they do next!